May 30, 2023

Web Roulette

Swipe through favorite websites or shake for random fun. This looks like an extra fun way to browser the web. / via Daring Fireball

techcrunch.com

Web Roulette app icon

Rachel Spellings swatch book paintings

These tiny paintings are delightful.

thisiscolossal.com

Paint swatch paintings

May 26, 2023

Invisible Things

Andy J Pizza & Sophie Miller have a book coming out that puts visuals and words to some of the invisible things that make up the human experience. At first blush, it’s a kids book, but there’s a kid in most of us. (Unfortunately, some are still bullies, but whatever!)

andyjpizza.com

Invisible Things book cover

Arc Boost

Arc just leapfrogged every browser with Boost, a way to customize how websites look and ”zap” features you don't like.

arc.net

Arc browser screenshot showing customization screen

May 25, 2023

Make an annoying RoboCall in order to get rid of annoying RoboCalls

MSCHF exploits a dumb government loophole that allows for robocalls as long as a human initiates them. Now you can help raise money and awareness to lobby against them by firing up a ton of spam calls.

antirobocall.com

Screenshot of robocall website

May 24, 2023

Busy Beaver Button Museum

I’ve had oodles of buttons produced by Busy Beaver (they do fantastic work). I didn't realize they’ve also made a book and started a button museum. Fun. / via Grace

buttonmuseum.org

Lots of buttons

May 23, 2023

David Friedman gets no mail and you can too

Another lovely Ironic Sans newsletter filled with a bevy of steps to remove yourself from all those annoying piece of mail no one wants. I've spent the last 15 minutes or so going through the list and opting out all over!

ironicsans.substack.com

AI mailman painting in the style of Edward Hopper

May 22, 2023

97X Modern Rock 500

Streaming now! 500 indie songs with original DJs from 97X. Been enjoying it all morning and will dip my toes in the looping broadcast throughout the week.

inhailer.com

97X 2023 Inhaler 500

May 21, 2023

Ghost Golf Belts

I don't golf, but I love the notch-less belt I got here. I count it among my better investments in life. (Got the “Bubba” but they have oodles of variants.)

ghostgolf.com

A belt without notches

Woodswimmer

Music video made entirely from wood for the band Bedtimes by bfophoto / via Jacob Tender

vimeo.com

Still from stop motion video with a cross section of wood

May 19, 2023

Remi Wolf Prescription

A little funky yearning medley to close out the week. Just stumbled on this tune and now need to dig back into her back catalog (which is not deep, she’s 27!) Oh, I know Photo ID.

youtu.be

Remi Wolf at a microphone

May 17, 2023

Rooms.xyz

Create, remix, add interactivity and share isometric voxel room things/games. Neato. / via waxy

rooms.xyz

Isometric voxel mini games

May 9, 2023

CSS Zen Garden is 20 today

Admission, I never was good at CSS. I made things with tables and visual editors. But the CSS Zen Garden taught me how to see, understand and articulate CSS. Dave Shea reflects a bit on how important it was (and still is). I'm linking to Andrew Lohman’s contribution, but really the joy is in clicking around the archives at how others re-interpret the page!

csszengarden.com

Sample page on CSS Zen Garden with mid-century modern design by Andrew Lohman

May 6, 2023

Because perfect is boring

I superdig Danielle MacInnes’ take on documentary style family photography, which I didn’t know was a thing until I got lost in the stack of links on this MetaFilter post: Don’t Say Cheese.

daniellemacinnes.com

Black and white documentary style family photo

Why so many people need glasses now

Watched two great Vox explainers this morning. One about inflation and this video about why nearsightedness is on the rise, and how it can be addressed.

youtu.be

Diagram of two things that increase nearsightedness: Near Work and Time Indoors

May 5, 2023

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

Hipgnosis made extremely iconic album covers. This is the trailer for a film about this art design studio. / thanks Tom!

youtu.be

hipgnosis album covers

Notes at 45

Naz Hamid gathers some perspectives on his birthday. Resonating this morning is “opt for joy, delight, or energy.”

nazhamid.com

Naz Hamid at 45

May 4, 2023

Samples on the Beastie Boys’ ‘Ill Communication’

Matched with the original songs. Fun to get more insight to this Beasties album, a favorite among many.

laughingsquid.com

Ill Communication album cover

Fridge-worthy moments

Loved the bit on Jacobi’s home page that lists fridge-worthy moments (some with links to fill in the gaps). Filing this as inspiration to consider in reflection and also looking forward!

jacobi.work

Graphics and photos on the home page of a website for Jacobi

Visual Technique Library

Jacobi Mehringer has created a massive library of film techniques for art directors. It’s amazing. / via Yewknee

eycndy.com

Eyecandy visual

May 3, 2023

Blue Monday on Song Exploder

New Order shares the story of how the song came to be.

songexploder.net

Song Exploder cover art for the New Order Blue Monday podcast episode

4 hours of lofi music and visuals

That also happens to be a commercial for the Nissan ARIYA. / via Tim Murtaugh

youtu.be

Nissan animation for their new electric SUV thing called the ARIYA

A good bird app

Merlin Bird ID is free app by Cornell Lab that can identify birds by sound. Noah Kalina said (on a non-bird app that doesn’t allow deep links) “It will change your life and how you experience the natural world.”

merlin.allaboutbirds.org

Screenshot of app that identifies birds by sound

May 1, 2023

Rewilding the lawn

Ground cover, wildflower meadows, and gravel gardens require little to no effort to thrive and are beneficial to our ecosystem. I'd love to convert our lawn. / via Kathryn

marthastewart.com

Illustration showing lawn with grass and lawn with a more natural look

I Take Full Responsibility Book (Second Edition)

Scott Boms collects fourteen communications from technology company CEOs who have reduced their employee bases in a 100 edition hand assembled, Risograph’d book

scottboms.com

I take full responsibility book cover

April 28, 2023

The Federal Design Improvement Program

Phil Edwards shares history of the initiative that brought identity standards to government institutions.

jnack.com

EPA identity standards

April 26, 2023

Peakto Photo Organizer Software

Unite Apple Photos and Lightroom? I’m intrigued... This Mac app also supports most every major photo platform. (They also have a tool to port libraries around.) / via Phil Gyford

cyme.io

Peakto photo organizing software interface on a laptop

W. Frank Steely Library

Surprised no movie has been filmed in this mid-70’s library at Northern Kentucky University. As Ronnie Salerno shares, it really would fit right into the Starfleet Academy.

ronnysalerno.com

Modern library design interior from the 70's

April 25, 2023

Pet Shop Boys Lost

Thanks to this post on MetaFilter I learned of this new PSB music.

metafilter.com

Album cover with black and white photograph of a field in mist with the word Lost written in san serif type

April 14, 2023

Howard Lee paints invisible tree

Well, the midsection at least. A well done illusion en plein air in New York City. A delightful distraction at the end of this week.

laughingsquid.com

Howard Lee paints tree

The 100 best things to do in NYC for locals and tourists

I can't tell if TimeOut perpetually updates this (extensive) list, but it seems that way. / tipping my hat to Thor (who I consider a Thorguide all on his own.)

timeout.com

NYC as seen from the High Line

Natural Soundscapes of Rocky Mountain National Park

Choose from dawn, morning, evening, environmental or weather. Good backdrop for zoning out or in. / via MetaFilter

nps.gov

Rocky Mountain National Park mountains at sunset

Martha Stewart, still blogging

Steady posting from her Ominmedia since 2007 in decidedly old school digs. I'd love to know the process behind it as her voice is present but she certainly can't be blogging!

themarthablog.com

Pink Azalea flower

April 12, 2023

Pull quotes by Jonathan Hoefler

Inspiration and nice type make a good marriage. / via a reply to Merlin’s Wisdom Limo

discover.typography.com

pullquotes

April 11, 2023

Fred again.. Tiny Desk Concert

Fred again.. translates his electronic music in wonderful ways for this Tiny Desk Concert.

youtu.be

Fred again.. at the keyboard performing at NPR for their Tiny Desk Concert segment

April 10, 2023

Start low-fi

Erica Heinz shares perspective on why low-fidelity is a better approach for product development. In some sense, this is a great approach for any notion...

ericaheinz.com

Low-fidelity wireframe UX sketching kit

A Mid Century

This poster from Eaton Print Shop made me chuckle. / via Chris Streger

eatonprintshop.com

Mid poster

April 4, 2023

Electronic Materials Office Keyboard

I'm not a keyboard person, but this Altar 1 ultra-low profile, wireless mechanical one forged from sustainable materials might sway me. / via Gastón

electronicmaterialsoffice.com

Designy keyboard

April 3, 2023

Everything Paul Carroll made in 2022

I absolutely love all of this… Things made in Blender! Experiments that might have gathered dust! The delight and joy in the process! Chill sharing! Delightful and inspiring.

youtu.be

3D rendering of a video game figure

Making an interactive blog map

Or any sort of diagram for that matter. Tom Critchlow shares an option that uses Figma, SVGs and CSS. I had no idea this was possible — this opens up so many doors!

tomcritchlow.com

Interactive blog diagram

Highrises

Chris Hytha and team use drones and a bit of artistic license to capture the top of landmark buildings and they’re delightful with just the right amount of surreal. / via Kottke

highrises.hythacg.com

Art Deco high rise photograph

Regrets

If you follow OH no Type Co’s (excellent) Instagram or TikTok you’d know this nouveau display typeface was coming. It has flowers (and a monstera) in the ornaments.

ohnotype.co

Regrets typeface sample

Kehinde Wiley

Short film about Kehinde’s upbringing and process in support of his exhibition An Archaeology of Silence at the de Young museum.

youtu.be

Kehinde Wiley paints a portrait

April 2, 2023

Digicam Finder

The bad news: Amazon is shutting down the excellent DPReview, a favorite website to learn about digital cameras. The good news: Folks are making an archive that in some ways, is better! / via Tom Watson

digicamfinder.com

Digital camera database

April 1, 2023

Coloring the Past

Eli Erlick has colorized and restored photos from queer and trans history, collected with valuable context. / via Ben Werdmuller

elierlick.com

Woman with cigarette

March 30, 2023

I wish my computer cursor was this lively

Figma has tight animations to show off new features. Dig. And yay for hanging punctuation among oodles of other improvements.

figma.com

A panel for Bartlett Pears showing off new features for the design tool Figma

March 28, 2023

Simple Mortgage Calculator

Trying to answer the simple question of how much house can we afford is made difficult by awful search engines. Shawn Hickman made this spreadsheet for non-financial experts and it looks quite good and worth the price. His overview video provides insight.

sofahq.gumroad.com

Screenshot of a simple mortgage calculator spreadsheet

The Magical Musical Thing

David Hilowitz explores the 70’s toy electronic instrument from Mattel and speaks to the creator. We had one of these growing up and it was indeed a bit magical. / via Chuck Jordan

spectrecollie.com

Magical Musical Thing

March 27, 2023

John Gruber on Wavelength

His post describes a new app for group chat, built on privacy and fortified with (deep breath) A.I. So good he’s on board and makes a compelling case as to why.

daringfireball.net

Wave icon

Luis Barragán

Was a Mexican architect and engineer. The places he designed celebrate form and color. This foundation catalogs his life and work. / via Richard Perez in a roundabout way

barragan-foundation.org

Luis Barragan architecture

Chris Ware shares his day and process

Oh this video is gooooood. “A book itself is sort of the perfect metaphor for a human being. It’s got a front and a back. It’s got a spine, and it’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.”

youtu.be

Man drawing a comic

March 25, 2023

Top 100 3D vehicle renders of 4,280 submissions

Clinton Jones organizes and curates these render challenges and they’re really great. Now I’m going through older challenges thanks to a collection of links on MetaFilter.

youtu.be

Futuristic 3d render of a pimped out Mustang in a race

March 22, 2023

Classic Video Games Stamps Sheet

I could see this framed on the wall and that would be pleasing. (But then I see the stacks of things that are framed and not hung around the house.) / via Laughing Squid

wearedorothy.com

Stamps with abstract representations of 42 videogames

Doug Wilson catalogs his library

From the shelving, organization, labelling and cataloging — an inspiration for anyone who appreciates everything in its right place, and accessible to share.

realdougwilson.com

Bookshelves

Drift Hotels

With locations in San José del Cabo, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs and Nashville soon, these hotels look zen. / via Naz

drifthotels.co

Drift hotel in Palm Springs

Naz Hamid’s personal website

For a long time this domain linked to other online homes for Naz. During the pandemic it started to evolve. Now it is a new destination unto itself. Thoughtful details abound.

nazhamid.com

Naz Hamid’s home page

March 20, 2023

Mashing up Star Wars ships with old aircraft in Lego

Jordan Fridal has quite the knack.

instagram.com

X-51 Mustang Lego Mashup

A bearded dude in an orange hat

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is clapping back in support of their emblem on social media. Some chuckles in the replies / via Brand New

twitter.com

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation emblem

March 19, 2023

Public Announcement

Brand consultancy and media company with a homepage chock full of links and some fine keyboard navigation throughout. Their website is part zine, art project, commentary and probably a few other things I haven’t figured out yet. Fun!

publicannouncement.org

Public Announcement written on a tennis ball

Borrow Trouble

New music video by Feist has some Michel Gondry vibes. Dig. / via Public Annoucement

youtu.be

Feist grab from music video